Election 2012

Protesters Denounce Akin for Stance on Women's Health

Voters lined a Kirkwood street Monday afternoon to express their distaste for the U.S. Senate candidate and local representative.

From a birth control costume to a sign that read "Voting Vagina," it was pretty clear why participants of a voters' rally outside a Todd Akin fundraiser thought the U.S. Senate candidate was the wrong man for the job. "It's disgusting we have a congressman who doesn't understand science," said LaDonna Appelbaum, of Creve Couer. "We need women making decisions for women, not men."  Protesters lined the street of South Kirkwood Road outside Woodbine Center near Trattoria Branica where Akin was holding a fundraising event after a press conference at the Kirkwood Train Station.  Many protesters wore pink Planned Parenthood T-shirts. The St. Louis chapter of Advocates of Planned Parenthood mobilized supporters of the organization through an …

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Clayton Residents Host Craft Alliance's Fundraiser Kickoff

Pat Whitaker and Dick Miles held a cocktail reception at their home Feb. 22 in honor of the upcoming ARTrageous Baubles Ball.

Two Clayton residents recently hosted a kickoff for Craft Alliance's ARTrageous Baubles Ball, which will raise funds for youth arts education. The cocktail reception happened Feb. 22 at the Clayton home of Pat Whitaker and Dick Miles. Craft Alliance, based in neighboring University City, provides free art-driven educational programs to 4,500 students yearly, a news release states. The ball will run from 6 to 11 p.m. April 13 at the Palladium Saint Louis. The evening will include art, jewelry, fashion, music and a guest appearance by Valerie Steele, director of The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, according to the release. Cathy Barancik and Steve Novik will be honored during the event. Susan Barrett and Atul …

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U City Symphony Orchestra Marks 50th Anniversary with Brunch and Music

The conductor's brunch fundraiser on Sunday will include the orchestra's string quartet and jazz by a guitar and violin duo.

The University City Symphony Orchestra will celebrate its 50th anniversary by getting ready for its next 50 years. The orchestra will host a conductor’s brunch from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the University City Hall Rotunda, 6801 Delmar Blvd. The brunch is a fundraiser for the orchestra. Cost for the event is $65 per person or $110 per couple. TO RSVP for the fundraiser, see the group’s website at www.ucso.org. “We have a 50-year history of providing great music to the public for free,” Conductor Leon Burke III said. “That’s an awesome legacy.” The event features a live performance by the University Symphony Orchestra string quartet . “For one hour, we’ll have the string quartet for background music,” Burke said. “The whole idea here is to …

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Subterranean Books Hosts UCHS Rock and Read Event

The event raises money for a freshman summer reading program.

On Friday afternoon, University City High School students began a "Rock and Read" event at Subterranean Books to raise money for a summer freshman reading program. Subterranean owner Kelly von Plonski said she first heard of the idea when she read about another store doing it elsewhere in the United States. She then contacted UCHS English teacher Caroline Hackmeyer, who started planning the event in early March. "Kelly from Subterranean contacted me with the idea around the same time that [UCHS] assistant principal Dayle Burgdorf asked me about doing a summer freshman reading project, so things came together relatively quickly," Hackmeyer said. During the event, UCHS students sat in rocking chairs in Subterranean's storefront window and …

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Arts and Entertainment with Jeff Brandt

Book Store Raises Funds With Trivia Night

Subterranean Books held a fundraiser Saturday night at the Mad Art Gallery in St. Louis.

The Delmar Loop's bookstore continued its struggle to remain open for business Saturday night, when dozens of indie-conscious friends and customers came out for a night of fun. Subterranean Books' first Trivia Night fundraiser kicked off at 7 p.m. at the Mad Art Gallery in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis. For the entry fee of $20 per person or $200 for a table of 10, book lovers and trivia buffs could play 10 rounds of trivia and enjoy glasses of wine and bottled brews from Schlafly and Budweiser. The organizers invited participants to bring their own food, purchase mulligans and participate in the raffle and silent auction. In addition to the signed editions up for auction, a wealth of books were up for grabs as attendance prizes. …

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Arts and Entertainment with Jeff Brandt

Nonprofit Challenges Writers and Community Leaders to "Do Thy Will"

The St. Louis Poetry Center hosted its annual fundraiser Sunday afternoon at Blueberry Hill.

Joe Edwards' Delmar Loop concert venue played host to a literary event from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The St. Louis Poetry Center held its annual fundraiser downstairs in Blueberry Hill's Duck Room. The Center adopted the sonnets of Shakespeare as its theme, inviting 14 writers, professors, actors and community leaders to read or recite a sonnet of their choosing. The punning fundraiser title of "Do Thy Will" encouraged speakers to provide their own artistic interpretations of William Shakespeare's 14-line classics. Funds raised by the event's admission price, as well as from silent auction items ranging from books to artworks, went toward sustaining the nonprofit organization. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres were included in the cost of admission…

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PatchCast

Daily PatchCast: Richmond Heights Group Plans to Bring Fresh Produce to City, Ladue Nurse Tackles Vaccine Misconceptions and More

A roundup of St. Louis news headlines for Wednesday.

Here are the top stories from Patch sites in your area:

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Plowing Profits: Fundraiser Benefits University City Schools

Proceeds from sales at Plowsharing Crafts go to supplement programs.

University City High School teacher Curtis Stuart is living proof that University City Education Foundation fundraisers pay off for students and teachers. He used a $1,000 grant from the foundation to buy books for his reading class. "They're on my bookshelf and the kids are pulling them off and reading them all the time," said the English teacher. The books he bought supplement required reading. Stuart said he chose novels for students to read independently. For example, he really wanted to get The Watsons Go to Birmingham into the hands of the students. He also used some of the grant money to buy a videocamera for his broadcasting class. The UCEF is a non-profit organization that was created in 1996 to help fund extra programs and …

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